From Christian Pulisic to Vaughn Covil, see where the Yanks playing in England are as we head in to the final stretch.
While Chelsea are fighting for the FA Cup and Manchester City (perhaps without Zack Steffen on the field) are still in contention for the Premier League and Champions League, there are plenty of other players putting in performances all over the country. Most notably, Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream have helped Fulham return to the Premier League! But will they be crowned Champions of the Championship? Only time will tell.
Here is our English roundup by club. We have omitted anyone playing U23 or League 2 as their primary league for this article.
England Round Up
Chelsea
Christian Pulisic was on the bench for Chelsea in their 4-2 loss at home to Arsenal, a position he has grown familiar with in the last month. The American’s last start was in the first leg of the Champions League tie against Real Madrid, where he went 64 minutes before being substituted. Pulisic hasn’t started since then. In the last four games he has come off of the bench twice, including an 83rd minute appearance against Real Madrid. Since then, he hasn’t seen the field.
This could be down to squad rotation, with six games in 19 days, but USMNT fans would surely rather see Pulisic getting regular starts then sitting on the bench for the last two games. He’s only played 7 minutes in the last three games. Let’s hope he’s well rested for the West Ham clash on Sunday.
Chelsea sit in third place with 31 games played, having earned 62 points. They are 5 points clear of Tottenham and Arsenal (57 points each), with a game in hand. West Ham are on the ascendency fighting in the Europa League and Premier League for league position, currently sitting seventh with 52 points.
Norwich
Josh Sargent has been sidelined since the beginning of April with an ankle injury that saw the forward in a boot to heal. His coach initially said 10 days out, which could have him in contention for the weekend fixture against Newcastle. Sargent was a “tough” omission from the last WCQ roster for Gregg Berlhalter, stating “he works his ass off and is an ultimate team player.” However, having been played wide and in a more defensive formation, he isn’t currently being looked at as a number 9 for the National Team.
The team had a spirited fight back against Manchester United, and only a Cristiano Ronaldo heroic hattrick saw them lose 3-2 at Old Trafford. The last time Sargent was on the field was March 13th, having missed the last three games. Norwich face the near-impossible task of staying in the Premier League, sitting dead last and eight points from safety with six games to play.
It looks likely that Sargent could be playing Championship football next season.
Manchester City
Zack Steffen looked to have cost Manchester City the game against Liverpool, being pick pocketed (thuggishly, perhaps) by Sadio Mane in the FA Cup Semi-Final. The game was just his ninth of the season, firmly behind ever present Ederson. Manchester City are still, however, pushing to win the Premier League and Champions League.
The question remains around Steffen’s future, his contract goes through 2025, as to whether or not he should stay at City or go out on loan ahead of the World Cup. Only time will tell what he, and Pep Guardiola, think.
Premier League Coaches:
Jesse Marsch and Leeds are on a four game unbeaten run, winning three of those games. Leeds are nine points above the relegation zone, and can further cement those hopes with a win at Crystal Palace on Monday.
Chris Armas on the other hand may be on the outside looking in at Manchester United. The current coaching staff could be replaced as Erik ten Hag comes in this summer from Ajax. United have only picked up two wins in their last six outings, and have been knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League under Ralf Ragnick and Armas.
Fulham
Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream have clenched promotion to the Premier League with four games to spare in the Championship. While Robinson and Ream have been solid defensively, Aleksander Mitrovic’s unbelievable 40 goal season has helped. The Cottagers have scored 98 goals so far this campaign, and show no signs of slowing down.
Fulham were relegated last season, but will look to go up and stay up this time. Ream has been a regular starter and captain for Fulham, but can he handle the speed of the Premier League over 38 games? Robinson looks ready for the challenge with his current form. It will be vital that they reinforce their squad. Fulham are nine points above second place Bournemouth and will want to be crowned Champions of the Championship on top of being promoted.
Middlesbrough
Folarin Balogun went on loan from Arsenal to Middlesbrough to get game time, and he has succeeded. He’s played over 800 minutes across 16 games. He’s only not featured once, a 1-0 loss to Fulham.
The playmaker has three goals and two assists in that span, and will look to secure his spot in Arsenal’s first team for next season. While the US born played hasn’t been capped by England or the USMNT, the 20 year old should be looking at the prospects of first team international football next year.
Nottingham Forest
Ethan Horvath waited a long time for Nottingham Forest to get the chance, and snatched it when it came. The American goalkeeper was sitting behind Brice Samba for the entirety of the season, until his red card gave Horvath a chance. The squad went undefeated with him between the sticks, only conceding two goals in the five game stretch. However, Samba was recalled to the starting XI, and Horvath was dropped to the bench.
Horvath has shown he is good enough to be a starting GK, and at 26, he needs to be playing. While he is only a few months into his deal that extends to 2024, he will surely be looking for more regular football than a back up in the Championship.
Outside looking in is teenager Alex Mighten who made a blistering start to the campaign but after injury has only gathered a handful of minutes for Forest.
Huddersfield Town
Duane Holmes has racked up over 2,000 minutes for Huddersfield Town in their surprise bid to gain promotion to the Premier League. They currently sit in third place, four points off of automatic promotion, with eight points between them and seventh placed Millwall.
Holmes has scored five goals in his 34 appearances, starting 23 of those. Outside of the back to back losses in mid-March to Millwall and Bournemouth, Huddersfield has been unbeaten in their other 21 fixtures since November. While automatic promotion looks a bit unreachable, the playoff system will promote one more to the Premier League. Will it be Huddersfield?
Preston North End
Matthew Olosunde has had one of those seasons, or lack there of. The American couldn’t overcome an achilles tendon issue that held him out until December, only to pick up a groin injury. He made one more appearance in late January, but has been sidelined since. His contract is set until the end of next summer, so he will likely stay on the books until then.
West Bromwich Albion
Daryl Dike has been sidelined with a hamstring injury after just his second game at the club. Many feel he was perhaps rushed into the squad, which resulted in his injury. The forward is unlikely to feature again this season, but will likely be a key figure as West Brom look to regain promotion to the Premier League.
Gillingham
Charlie Kelman is on loan from Queens Park Rangers to Gillingham to get minutes, and he has succeeded. The forward has notched 1700 minutes in all competitions this season, but with his contract running out this summer, he will want to solidify his roster situation sooner rather than later. Kelman has scored twice with one assist, notching 16 starts in League One.
Sunderland
Lynden Gooch has been a mainstay in the Sunderland squad all season as they push for promotion from League One to the Championship. The American has played over 2,600 minutes this season through 30 starts out of 35 game day rosters he’s been on this season. They currently sit in seventh place tied on points with sixth placed Wycombe with one game in hand.
With three games left to play, Sunderland have it all to play for. Gooch is out of contract this summer, but will hope to be playing in the Championship one way or the other.
Bolton
Marlon Fossey is on loan at Bolton and has notched 1300 minutes for the Wanderers, but his season came abruptly to an end as the 23 year old has a torn meniscus. He will return to Fulham for treatment, but his contract is expiring at the end of the season.
Forest Green Rovers
Vaughn Covil has eight appearances under his belt for Forest Green Rovers, but only a handful of minutes in League Two action this season. The Rovers has been tearing up the charts, sitting on top of League Two, looking to guarantee promotion with at least a draw at Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
The 18 year old will hope to continue his development in professional football, but his contract expires at the end of the season. Forest Green will likely be in League One, but will Covil?
